The Chicago Bulls’ hot start to the season continued to crumble at the hands of a COVID-19 outbreak with a second-straight blowout on the road.
The Miami Heat bullied the Bulls on both ends of the court Saturday night, posterizing players in a 118-92 rout highlighting the cracks left by absences throughout the roster. With seven players in the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols and only 11 suited up in Florida, the outbreak’s toll was insurmountable for the Bulls.
The loss was highlighted by a third consecutive night of off-kilter shooting from Nikola Vučević, whose frustration bubbled over into fouls and unwieldy shots as the center finished 3-for-15 (20%) from the field.
“I have never been through a slump like this,” Vučević said. “I’ve gotten a lot of shots in my spots. Even tonight, I got some post ups (that) I’ve made a career of, and tonight it just wasn’t falling. ... Honestly I don’t really have an explanation what’s going on with my shot.”
The Bulls and Heat rosters were shadows of the teams that met only two weeks ago in a frenzied battle in Chicago, which the Heat won 107-104.
Ayo Dosunmu and Stanley Johnson entered the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols Saturday, extending the Bulls’ streak of recording at least one positive test every two days throughout the last two weeks.
Johnson signed a 10-day contract with the Bulls after the team earned a hardship exception following their fourth positive COVID-19 test earlier this week. He joined the team in Miami on Friday and entered the protocols less than 36 hours later.
“We need a hardship for a hardship right now,” coach Billy Donovan said before the game.
Dosunmu stepped up heavily throughout the last two weeks to replace the production of depth players — most importantly, fellow guard Coby White. White was the first player afflicted by the outbreak.
After White tested positive Dec. 1, over a third of the roster followed: Javonte Green (Dec. 3), DeRozan (Sunday), Matt Thomas (Tuesday), Derrick Jones Jr. (Thursday) and now Dosunmu and Johnson. DeRozan’s absence has had an extreme impact on the Bulls, who haven’t been able to replace his scoring.
Vučević also tested positive Nov. 11, missing seven games during a bout with the virus.
The Heat faced a similarly lengthly injury list after forward Caleb Martin entered the COVID-19 protocols Saturday, joining the sidelined Bam Adebayo (thumb), Jimmy Butler (tailbone), Markieff Morris (neck) and Victor Oladipo (knee). But while the Heat absorbed their losses through standout performances from Duncan Robinson and Dewayne Dedmon, the Bulls looked lost from the opening whistle.
Zach LaVine tried to offer a light to guide the way for the Bulls, draining a season-high seven 3-pointers and finishing with 33 points for his eighth 30-point game of the season. The Heat hit 9 3-pointers in the first quarter, but LaVine still managed to scrape the Bulls back within five points when he dropped 15 points in 15 minutes through the opening two quarters.
Once again, however, the Bulls were reminded that LaVine simply can’t do it all without DeMar DeRozan. The Bulls haven’t scored more than 100 points since DeRozan entered COVID-19 protocol. The loss in Miami highlighted a steep lack in scoring from a diminished supporting cast.
Lonzo Ball went 4-for-12 from long range and finished with 15 points in an inconsistent performance. Donovan emphasized the need for Ball to slash to the rim more often and partially attributed his lack of layups to a tendency to kick the ball out rather than take his shot.
Alex Caruso played for the first time in a week after missing two games with a right hamstring strain that forced him to be pulled from the Dec. 4 road game against the Brooklyn Nets. Caruso’s return bolstered the Bulls, but Donovan limited the guard’s minutes to accommodate his injury recovery.
Vučević's inability to finish — both from long distance and at the rim — remains the most persistent question for the Bulls offense to answer. The center averaged 16 points on 29.4% shooting in the last three games, making only two 3-pointers combined in his last two performances.
Scoring inconsistency isn’t a new phenomenon in Vučević's career, and it stands to logic that at some point, the center will snap out of his malaise. But the center’s inability to score flattened the Bulls offense against the Heat. Dedmon battered Vučević on both ends of the court, scoring six of his eight baskets in the paint as the center struggled without the size of Green and Jones to provide defensive backup.
Despite Vučević's recent form, Donovan was unwavering in his support of the center after the loss.
“I trust him and believe in him and I maybe wouldn’t feel that way if I didn’t see him working,” Donovan said. “He got in this morning and went to the gym to shoot. ... He stayed after practice the other day to shoot. He’s working on it. That’s why I’ve got a lot of trust and confidence and belief in him. It’s not like he’s never been through this before. ... He’s just got to work his way through it.”
The NBA placed heavier restrictions on the Bulls following their second postive test, limiting the team to essential activities such as travel, practices and games. However, Donovan said the league has not indicated it would suspend or postpone games despite the outbreak. Currently, the Bulls will be expected to continue playing unless they drop below the league-mandated minimum of eight available players.
Despite the outbreak’s widespread impact on the roster, Donovan said he hasn’t heard concerns from his players about continuing with the season.
“I would totally understand if somebody in our team was like, ‘Listen, I don’t I don’t feel comfortable with this, I don’t feel comfortable playing,’ ” Donovan said. “We haven’t had any of that, but certainly COVID has impacted people in a lot of different ways. I think people — at least inside of our team — have had loved ones that have really suffered from it. It is a scary time, and our guys have really done a good job just trying to really stay locked in.”
The Bulls began testing players daily — sometimes more than once a day — after White’s positive test.
Although the team hasn’t been able to contain the outbreak, Bulls players have reported only minor symptoms so far. White and Vučević both described “cold-like” symptoms, such as a fever and cough. Vučević passed his cardiovascular tests immediately following clearance on Nov. 22 and hasn’t reported any lingering effects since his return.
“We’ve got a lot of guys sitting home with no symptoms right now,” Donovan said. “That’s obviously a good thing, too, because I think when guys have gone through a little difficulty of getting really, really sick, it’s really made it a lot harder for them coming back. So we do have some guys that have felt under the weather, we have some guys that have very, very mild symptoms and some guys who just don’t have any.”
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